¹⁶ And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury^(A) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.^(B) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.^(C)

⁹ Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors^(A) and by the kings^(B) and queens^(C) of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives^(D) in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?^(E)

²⁴ Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,^(A) “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.^{(B) 25} This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives^(C) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’^(D)

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!^(E)

⁴² and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer. The choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah. ⁴³ And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.

¹¹ The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children,^[a] and to plunder^(A) the property of their enemies.

¹² The land will mourn,^(A) each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, ¹³ the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, ¹⁴ and all the rest of the clans and their wives.^(B)